Tourism Malaysia has unveiled its Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign in India along with a target of 1.6 million Indian arrivals. A series of strategic travel trade initiatives will back its campaign ambitions.

The NTO has been actively engaging with the Indian travel trade industry. Earlier this year, Tourism Malaysia participated in the OTM 2025 travel tradeshow in Mumbai, and led a sales mission across key Southern Indian cities including Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kochi. Continuing its engagement, Tourism Malaysia will soon join SATTE 2025 in New Delhi from February 19 to 21.

Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali, director, Tourism Malaysia New Delhi, told TTG Asia that the NTO’s presence at SATTE 2025 will “create awareness about VM2026”.

“Apart from our mass marketing efforts, we will be focusing on niche segments like golf tourism, weddings and MICE to meet our target of 1.6 million Indian tourist arrivals in 2026,” he added.

To court golf enthusiasts, Tourism Malaysia will organise a series of golf tourism-focused events across five Indian cities from March to December 2025. Key markets like New Delhi and Kolkata have already been identified for these events.

Ahmad Johanif also shared that joint promotions with India-based travel agents will be introduced to promote Malaysia as a golf and wedding destination.

Industry players see strong potential in Malaysia for Indian weddings, but urge additional steps to raise its competitive edge against dominant destinations such as Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, Bali, and Mauritius.

Rachit Jain, director of event management company Rashi Entertainment, suggested measures such as fast-track immigration services for wedding groups as well as tax exemptions and incentive schemes for wedding agencies.

As Tourism Malaysia continues its courtship of Indian travellers, a series of fam trips for Indian travel agents and media representatives will be made available in collaboration with airlines like IndiGo and Air India.